Carton



Mamh 15, 1960 F. w. FIELDING 2,923,543

CARTON Filed Nov. 12, 1957 United s atesPatefiffQ CARTON Francis W. Fielding, New Orleans, La., assignor to Leng sfield Brothers, Inc., New Orleans, La., a corporation of Louisiana This invention relates to cartons and more particularly to cartons formed of paper board, or the like, for holding a plurality of articles in side-by-side relationship.

Open ended cartons of various different constructions have heretofore been used for containing a plurality of articles such as cylindrical cans or containers and using various means for holding the articles in the carton. One very important consideration in the design of such cartons is their ability to be filled rapidly and preferably by automatic filling machinery.

One very desirable type of open ended carton is more particularly disclosed and claimed in my co-pending application Serial No. 540,981, filed .October 17, 1955, now

Patent No. 2,849,111, granted August 26, 1958. This" construction embodies generally triangular saddles extending across the corners of the open ends of the carton to engage the end edge portions of articles in the carton. The saddles are held in effective position by flaps folded against an adjacent panel of the carton and beneath articles in the carton. Some difficulty has been encountered in filling cartons of this type due to the fact that the fiaps and saddles must be folded simultaneously which operation does not lend itself to automatic filling.

It is one of the objects of the present invention to provide a carton having corner saddles to retain the articles therein in which the flaps and saddles are individually foldable and which is therefore easy to fill.

Another object is to provide a carton in which the flaps and saddles are defined by straight score lines extending at an obtuse angle to each other from the central part of one panel of the carton and across the fold lines between such panels and the adjacent panels.

According to a feature of the invention, the flaps and saddles are individually folded with the carton blank flat and the saddles are drawn out to operative position when the end panels of the carton are folded up to receive articles dropped straight into the partially formed carton. Afterwards, the cartons are completed by folding the remaining walls around the articles and gluing a single seam.

The above and other objects and features of the invention will be more readily apparent from the following description when read in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a filled carton embodying the invention;

Figure 2 is a plan view of a blank;

Figure 3 is a view similar to-Figure 2 showing the first folding operation;

Figure 4 is a plan view showing the second folding operation and illustrating the condition of the carton when the articles are placed therein;

Figure 5 is a side elevation corresponding to Figure 4; and

Figure 6 is a side elevation of the completed carton.

The carton, as shown, is adapted to hold a plurality of articles indicated at 10 and in the illustrated carton two such articles are held in side-by-side relationship.

The flashlight batteries, as illustrated, are of cylindrical contour, although itwill be apparent that articles of var iousdifierent contours could .efiectively be retained in the carton of the invention. I a

The completed carton is formed of a single sheet of paper board, or the like, folded to define a top panel 11, a front panel 12, a back panel 13 and a bottom panel formed by sections 14 and 15 which overlap and are glued-to each other. The panels are integrally connected in the blank by transverse fold lines 16, 16a, 16b and 16c which separate the initial flat blank, as shown in Figure 2, into the different panelsections.

In addition to the fold lines, the flat blank is provided with straight score lines 17 and 18 which meet each other at an obtuse angle centrally of the back panel 13 and a spaced inwardly from the edges of the blank. The score lines 17 and 18 extend outwardly in opposite directions and cross the fold lines 16b and 160. and fold lines define generally triangular flaps 19 at the sides of the back panel 13 and generally triangular saddles 21 at the edges of the panels 11 and 14. The outer portion of the blank is cut, as shown at 22, between the flaps '19 at each side of the blank so that the flaps are separated from each other and can be individually folded. Additional score-lines 23 are formed in the blank extending from the intersections of the score lines 17 and 18 with the fold lines 16b and 160 at an acute angle to the score lines to define triangular webs 24 joining the flaps 19 to the saddles 21.

With the blank scored to provide the various score and fold lines and cut, as shown in Figure 2, the blank is ready for filling and forming into a completed carton. In the first step, the flaps, saddles and webs are folded inwardly along the straight score lines 17 and 18 to overlie the panels 11, 13 and 14, as shown in Figure 3. Due to the fact that the score lines 17 and 18 are straight, this folding operation can be performed very easily on automatic filling machinery and the blank after the first folding will still remain-flat to be handled easily in automatic filling.

The second folding step is illustrated in Figures 4 and p 5 and in this step the panels 11 and 14 are folded upward at approximately right angles to the back panel 13 in a position to receive. the articles. During this folding operation, the webs 24 will pull the saddles 21 outward to the position illustrated in which they extend across the corners between the panels 13, 11 and 14 in a position to engage the end edge portions of the articles and hold them in place. The panels 12 and 15 may extend at right angles to the back panel 13, but are preferably bent back at the fold line 1611, as shown, for convenience. With the blank in the condition shown in Figures 4 and 5, the articles 10 may be dropped straight down onto the back panel 13 with their end edge portions engaging the insides of the saddles 21 and held in position on the back panel by the saddles.

To complete the carton the edge of the panel 15 may be glued and the panel 12 may be folded overthe top of the articles, as shown in Figure 6, with the panel section 15 being bent downward to fit inside of the panel section 14 and being glued thereto. Upon completion of these folding and gluing operations, the carton is comabout straight lines which intersect or made in sucha Patented Mar. 15, 1960,

The score lines way as to define the saddle, web and flap portions which I functionto retain the articles in place.

While one embodiment -of the invention has been shown and describ d here ,Yit will be understood that it is illustrative only and to be taken a'sa definition' of the scope of the inventio'nfireterence being had for purposeto the appended'l im' z What is claim d i 1. A blank f or a carton toholda plurality 6 comprising an integral elongated sheetof paperboard or thelike -fo-fme'd with spaced parallel fold lines m ssparat it into foldably clonnectedtop,hottoin'andiside nels, a pair of straight score lines extending at anpbtuseiangle to each other from the central portion of onepanehtoward an edge of the panel between adjace t gi'lines and across the .fold. lines between said one panel and the ad a e nels 19 h.? d es f. e adiaea r m l's. n d fi fl s tfl sd 'a t iw ne n ,Y triangular saddles at the eases: ofthe adjafc ntfpanel's'g said one panel being 'cut be tw'en thetl" whereby are independently toldable, and additional straight scorelines extending from the intersections'of the fold lines andfirst named, score lines to the edge of saidone panel at acute angles '[Q'thE adjacent score lines respectively and defining triangular webs joining the ends of the flaps'and the saddles; whereby the saddles, flaps and wjehs beinginfoldable flat against the: panels so that whenfsaid adjacent panels are folded 'up at right angles to 'said'one panel at least jone article comprising,

firstibody wall andextending at right angles thereto for j contact by thesides of'the'articles, and a third body wall articulated to the second body wall along a straight fold line and overlying the tops of the articles, the body walls having a length substantially equal to the combined cross sectional dimensions of the articles so that the outermost t edges of the end articles: in thercarton coincide substantially vwith ther end edges of the body walls, the second body wall having a pair of separated flaps at at least one of an article and thejrfi'rst body wall and defined by a pair of straight score lines gextending at an obtuse angle to each other from the central portion of the second body walltowa rd an edge thereof between the fold lines, the first and third body iwalls having'rgenerally triangular d e themstfielde sk b een the a a en Po n saddles at the edges thereof folded normal thereto along score lines which are straight continuations ofsaid first named straight score lines respectively, and triangular was;enawaenawe iac at flared d e fl iplfikiin" ti'e we h e iwn no bf an article and the second body wall.

4," A cart on to h 1d itleast one article comprising connecte dtopj bottom andside walls joined to each other long parallel fold lines to define an open ended carton, one" of the'wallshaving a pair of separated flaps at at least one oflits edges folded back upon the wall along 'a pair of straight score lines each extending from the v central portion of the'wall adjacent to an edge thereof which is at an open end of thecarton, each of the Walls along parallel fold lines to define an open ended carton,

fromceach other from the central portion of the wall adjacent to an edge thereof which is at an open 'e'n do f the carton, each of the walls adjacent to said one wall'having 'a triangular saddle at its edge folded normal thereto along a score line which is a contlnuation of one of said first named straight score lines and a generally triangular web between and foldably connecting the adjacentfiaps and saddles respectively.

3. In combination, a carbon and at least one article adjacent to said one wall having a triangular saddle at its olded outward therefrom alonga score. line which is a'straight'continuatipn of one of 'said firstnamed'straight score lines and a generally, triangular web between and I f' ldably conneotingthe adjacent flaps and saddlesrespectively, each web being connected to the adjacentiiap and saddle along score'lines at an acute angle to eachother and allot the score lineslrneeting at a common point at t V acorner of the carton.

in the carton, the carton having a first bOdyFWfall sup- H porting the articles in side-bysid'e relationship, 'a second body wall articulate d along a straighttdld line to the References Cited i'n the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 2,928,541 March 15., 1960 Francis W. Fielding It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction and that the said Letters Patent should read as corrected below.

Column 3, line 45 for "carbon" read carton Signed and sealed this 20th day of September 1960.

SEAL) Attest:

KARL Ha AXLINE ROBERT CQWATSON Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents 

